Royals
by dragongoddess13
Summary: Prompt from Tumblr Imagine your OT3 as royalty, each one heir to their own kingdom, the rulers on the verge of war with each other. Person A must choose between B and C for marriage, allying their kingdom with the other. The one not chosen will fight against the others. Instead of A choosing one, the three decide to rule together. Person A: Bucky Person B: Steve Person C: Darcy


A/N: So at this point I'm just writing up prompts while I figure out where I'm going with a few other stories. This one comes from Otp Prompts on tumblr.

I have a few more I'm working on too. I left this story open so there's room for more chapters.

Royals

xXx

James Barnes was a practical king. His rule was fair and just, but his real strengths lay on the battle field wielding a sword or rifle. He was a medium sized man, built for speed and stealth. He was feared by his enemies and respected by his soldiers, and there wasn't anything he wouldn't do to protect his people. This brought him to his current predicament. James' kingdom was surrounded on all sides by potential enemies or potential allies, and as many a King before him had discovered, allying himself with another could ensure the prosperous continuation of his people.

To the north of King James' kingdom was a beautiful land of mountains and snow. The land was rich with minerals, precious metals and priceless gems. The people of this kingdom were prosperous and happy and loved their Queen the way no people have ever loved a royal. It is in Queen Darcy's land that all people find hope and opportunity and wealth; a wealth that could greatly benefit his own people should they be allies and crush them should they be enemies.

To the south of King James' Kingdom was a lush green paradise with rolling hills and farm land so nutrient rich you could grow anything your heart desired. King Steven was a strategic genius, plotting out strategies that put his kingdom above all others. It amazed his allies and vexed his enemies how he could think nearly ten steps ahead. His strategic abilities could very well be the downfall of James' army or just the right push they needed to conquer any enemies.

King Steven had been King James' closest friend growing up and James knew that Steven would never try to attack his kingdom. They loved each other, as more than friends, as more than brothers and they had each other's backs.

Despite all of that, the fact remained that allying himself with King Steve for love or not, could very well open them both up to attack from other kingdoms and their monarchies.

The real problem was Queen Darcy of the Northern kingdom. The young queen was an unknown factor and rarely seen by anyone outside her most trusted advisors. As great a queen as Darcy was, the fact remained that she took her kingdom by force. There were few people whom she trusted because of that fact.

A year before the Northern kingdom was under the rule of a cruel king. A man who hoarded the kingdom's riches for himself and cared little for the lives of his people. The kingdom was on the verge of war with the surrounding monarchs including James' and Steven's when word came through that the old king had been dethroned, and a new queen had taken his place. The fate of the king was unknown, but almost immediately advocates from the north were sent to each kingdom declaring in the name of the new queen the want for peace and the willingness of Queen Darcy to make reparations for the damages caused by her predecessor.

Now King James was charged with making a difficult decision. Does he chose to ally himself, through marriage, with King Steven and reap the benefits of strategic advantage and fertile land for an abundance of food, or does he ally himself with the unknown quantity that is Queen Darcy and her wealth and her subject's unwavering loyalty?

Steven was set to arrive within the hour and James hoped his old friend would have ideas for him. As much as James loved Steven, the fact remained that James would at some point need to produce an heir to keep his blood line in power as would Steven and marriage to each other would not provide such necessity. On the other hand both men were more than capable of grooming someone to take over when the time finally came for them to step down.

Of course there was no guarantee that should James marry Darcy instead she would be able to produce an heir for them. Little was known about the queen. Her people spoke little truth of her appearance or age, preferring to keep the mystery alive, and outsiders to the kingdom were never granted access to her for various reasons. For all James knew she was an old woman passed her ability to bare children.

xXx

When Steve finally did arrive the spent many hours in the privacy of James' personal chambers. It was during this time that James explained his predicament to Steven.

"You make a valid point." Steven finally replied after some contemplation. "I do love you Bucky, but our duties are to our people and remembering that is the only thing that separates us from the tyrants." James sighed pulling Steven closer.

"I love my people Steven, but I love you as well. I do not want to let you go."

"And I do not wish to let you go either, but we must do what is necessary for our..."

"Yes, yes, for our people. Why must you always be so noble?"

Steven smiled in his lopsided way, pulling James a top him. "You love that I'm so noble." He told him, matter of fact.

"I do, it is my cross to bear." James chuckled. "And what a cross it is." He leered down at Steven, grasping his cock as it hardened between them. Steven groaned in reply.

"You make it hard to remain so noble sometimes." James chuckled.

xXx

"Perhaps marriage is the wrong way to go about unifying our kingdoms." Steven spoke up over breakfast the next morning.

"There is no better way to unify territory." James replied clinically.

"Says who?" Steven set his plate aside thanking the young servant girl for taking it from him.

"Generations who have come before us." James finally replied.

"And yet it is not infallible. Just because it works out the majority of the time does not guarantee that it is the best way. Perhaps it is only considered the best because no one has tried another way."

"And what would you propose we do instead?"

"Let us meet with Queen Darcy, if she will, and discuss terms of agreement between our three kingdoms. Perhaps we three can create a new standard for inter-kingdom relations."

"I don't think she will agree, she's very protective of her identity. I'm not at all surprised either. The former king still has allies within her kingdom she can't be too careful."

"All the more reason for her to meet with us and form an alliance." James smirked.

"I knew there was a reason I keep you around."

Steven laughed.

xXx

Surprisingly enough, Queen Darcy agreed to a meeting. Her convoy arrived within four days of her reply and both Steven and James were anxious to make her acquaintance. Their concern over beginning peaceful relations was only slightly over shadowed by the curiosity they shared in wanting to finally lay witness to her identity. They, like many found themselves curious over the person behind the ceasefire in past years.

The courtyard was empty and heavily guarded when her carriage pulled up. Steven and James stood side by side at the end of the path, each holding their breath as the door was opened.

King James would like to think he showed a great deal of decorum when Queen Darcy stepped from her carriage. King Steven would like to think the same of himself as well.

Queen Darcy was not especially tall, but what she lacked in height she made up for in everything else. She was buxom in both bosom and hip, with bright blue eyes and long brown hair. Her full lips were painted a dark, sinful shade of red and when she looked upon them a light lit up in her eyes like mischief. It startled James, how young she really was. Beside him, James could feel Steven tense. Apparently, he too noticed her youthful beauty.

"She cannot be more than twenty." James mumbled under his breath.

"Twenty five at the most." Steven replied in similar fashion. "How does someone so young lead a revolution?"

James couldn't answer that, very few details in regards to the coo in the Northern Kingdom were ever made public. Some say it was a revolt of miners banding together to protect the lives they risked mining precious metals and gems stones for the kings personal treasury. Others claim the court of advisors rose up as the Senate once had in Rome against Julius Caesar, taking power for them and appointing a controllable figurehead. And still others say an assassin killed the former king hired by the current queen.

However Queen Darcy took power was of little consequence now. Now they needed to worry about whether or not she intended to take power from them, or if she was more concerned with keeping her own kingdom at peace.

xXx

A private meeting was held within the study. Queen Darcy had made herself comfortable on one of the plush wing backed chairs, while King James was leaning against the mantle looking into the crackling fire. Across the small room, King Steven was at the writing desk, looking between the two other monarchs.

It was Queen Darcy who finally broke the silence. "Am I to assume you wish to negotiate a peace treaty?"

"That is part of our reason for requesting your presence." Steven replied.

"And the other part then?"

"We wish to form an alliance between our three kingdoms." He continued. Darcy looked suspiciously between the two men.

"Something like that is only ever held for marriage." She said marriage like the very idea of it tasted foul in her mouth.

"Which is exactly why we wish to speak with you in person." James added. "We hope to set a new precedent, to unite our kingdoms together, a unity that does not require marriage, but merely trust and friendship."

Darcy was quiet as she thought. "I admire your open minded ness, I truly do, but friendship and most definitely trust are two things that cannot be bargained for; they must be earned." She explained.

"A valid point." Steven replied standing from the desk. He walked around it to stand beside James. "All we want is a chance to create a bigger, stronger kingdom that's prosperous and peaceful."

"I can respect that, and for now, treaty or no you have peace. I have no intention to begin a war with our neighbors you included. We have no need for war and no intention of wasting resources or more importantly pervious lives in conquest of things we neither need nor want. That I can promise you."

"We appreciate that." James shifted standing up straight. "But surely you can see where we might find reason to worry."

Darcy looked between them, scrutinizing everything about them. Darcy took a deep breath standing from her chair. "You are in love, you wish to unite your kingdoms under marriage but you fear that such a union would send the wrong message to your neighboring monarchs. You fear they will feel slighted by your blatant show of alliance." She smiled at their shock. Apparently they were easier read than they thought. "Love is a precious gift, and one should not worry what others would think in the face of it."

Both kings were taken by the hurt in her voice, the experience she conveyed in her tone. "Unite your kingdoms and let the love you have for each other rule the new kingdom. You have my support should anyone kick up a fuss."

And with that she retired to her chamber for the evening.

Later that evening James entered his chambers to find Steven starring out at the moon through the window.

"What do you think happened to her?" Steven asked.

"I do not know. Perhaps we never will." James sighed as he prepared for bed. "She has given us her blessing however, and for that she will have our support as well."

Steven hummed.


End file.
